Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Experience
Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Knowing the best spots for a quintessential British experience in Edinburgh can be tricky. Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea on a vintage Routemaster bus tour, and cruise past city landmarks including Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace as you sample fresh scones, sandwiches, and tea. Choose a departure time to suit your schedule, and capture stylish snaps on board the classic vehicle.
- Choose a departure time that suits your schedule
- Enjoy views of Edinburgh in any weather on board a vintage bus
- Get a taste of British tradition with included afternoon tea service
- Benefit from unlimited tea or coffee to accompany your sweet treats
What's Included
- Handmade Sandwich selections
- Home baked warm scone with cream, jam and strawberry garnish
- Selection of Petit Fours
- Sumptuous cupcakes
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Souvenir drinks cup
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Waterloo Pl, Edinburgh EH1 3EG, UK
Stand ZE Waterloo Place Edinburgh across the road from Howies restaurant.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Scott Monument (Pass By)
Edinburgh Castle (Pass By)
The Meadows (Pass By)
Greyfriars Bobby (Pass By)
Grassmarket (Pass By)
Arthur's Seat (Pass By)
Palace of Holyroodhouse (Pass By)
The Scottish Parliament (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- We do not offer live or recorded guide commentary on our buses. We are a dining Experience whilst touring Edinburgh or Glasgow.
- Red Bus Bistro Bookings are only valid for the date and time stated.
- Patrons should expect to share a table especially on our busier weekend tours. If patrons would rather not share a table we can try and accommodate them on a quieter tour.
- Patrons are requested to arrive 10–15 minutes before departure at waterloo Place opposite Apex Hotel. Unfortunately we cannot wait for late comers as we only have a limited time on stand. Refunds will not be offered to latecomers.
- We offer gluten free or vegetarian options. Our Products may contain nuts. Please specify requirements upon reservation.
- No tickets are issued for the tour.
- Your Surname is passed to the Bus Manager prior to your tour, this will be requested upon arrival at the bus, you can print this email out purely for your own information.
- Please be prepared to redeem any Gift Voucher you may have used for payment to the bus on the day of the tour.
- If you have booked using an Itison voucher, we may ask to see your voucher on your phone.
- Children have to be 5 years and older to be allowed onboard Red Bus Bistro children aged 5 to 9 years old are charged at £20 pounds and children aged 10 and over are charged as full paying adult.
- Anyone under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult
- There may be occasions where the tour has to be cancelled without advance notice, in the event of a cancellation patrons will be refunded in full or transferred onto another tour date.
- If the tour is cancelled after the first half an hours commencement, we will then offer availability on another tour.
- Smoking is not permitted on the Bus at any time.
- Red Bus Bistro does not take any responsibility for the loss, damage or theft of personal belongings while on the Bus.
- Conditions of carriage are subject to legislation set out by the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981; all details can be given by the Red Bus Bistro head office.
- We would like to point out that we operate Vintage Routemaster Buses, and although we keep our vehicles in the best possible maintenance condition there will be times that unforeseen maintenance issues may arise and result in a disruption to the tours, or cancellation; however we will endeavour to do everything in our power to avoid any disruption.
- Red Bus Bistro Company reserves the right to refuse carriage of patrons who are intoxicated, or displaying threatening or abusive behaviour, no refunds will be given under these circumstances. We also ask that a reasonable standard of behaviour is adhered to while on the tour, as there are other passengers to consider.
- Red Bus Bistro is not responsible for any damage caused by breaking the rules.
- RED BUS BISTRO COMPANY LIMITED ACCESS POLICIES
- It is not the policy of Red Bus Bistro Company Ltd to discriminate in any way against employees or passengers regarding disability, gender, race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
- Red Bus Bistro’s Bus was registered in 1966; it consists of Drivers Cab, upper deck, lower deck, and will always have at least 4 staff on board. The bus seats 12 downstairs and 28 upstairs; unfortunately due to the age and design of the Bus we cannot accommodate wheelchair passengers. Red Bus Bistro can reserve seating in advance for the lower deck for those with mobility concerns. As per above, patrons should otherwise be prepared to share a table, where the patrons would rather be seated alone we can try and accommodate them on a quieter tour however not guaranteed,
- There is no toilet on board.
- The tour will last between 70-90 minutes dependant on conditions, in which time our patrons will be served with an Afternoon Tea or Gin Tour. For private hire all requests are considered.
- Red Bus Bistro Company Limited will go out of its way to cater for as diverse and audience as possible within the physical confines of the bus, and will follow the DDA Legislation guidelines at all times.
- All information gained from Patrons will never be given to any third parties; Red Bus Bistro Company Limited is responsible for all online transactions.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos





Featured review
Melody_R
It is a must do when in Edinburgh!! They were kind attentive and knowledgeable. The food was delicious!!
Reviews
4.3
based on 1,282 reviews
Kellie_Z, Mar 2026
It was great! The sandwiches, desserts, and tea were tasty and the tour guides were funny and friendly. Highly recommend for a unique experience.
Melody_R, Mar 2026
It is a must do when in Edinburgh!! They were kind attentive and knowledgeable. The food was delicious!!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We’re delighted to hear you had such a great time on our Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Experience. Our team will be thrilled to know their kindness and knowledge made your visit special, and we’re glad you enjoyed the food as well. It means a lot that you’d recommend us as a must‑do in Edinburgh. We hope to welcome you back again soon.
Kevin_W, Feb 2026
This is a fantastic well thought out experience the staff are friendly and go the extra mile to make everything enjoyable the bus moves nice and slowly so everyone can enjoy the food and drinks with fear of spilling or dropping anything
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your lovely review of our Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Experience. We’re delighted to hear that you found the experience well thought out and enjoyable. Our team will be thrilled to know their friendliness and extra care made a difference to your day. We’re also glad the gentle pace of the bus helped you relax and enjoy your food and drinks without any worry. It was a pleasure having you on board, and we hope to welcome you back again soon for another great experience.
Rachel_C, Dec 2025
Absolutely loved this. Got to see Edinburgh at same time as having afternoon tea anda Cameron as well.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We’re delighted to hear you absolutely loved the Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Experience. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed seeing the city while relaxing with afternoon tea — it’s exactly the experience we hope to create. We’re also thrilled to hear Cameron helped make your time on board even more enjoyable. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words.
We hope to welcome you back on the red bus again soon.
Meghan_B, Nov 2025
A bit bumpy but we had a good time. Fun little tour of the city, will definitely recommend to friends.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for joining us on the Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Experience and for sharing your review! We’re delighted you had a good time exploring the city and that you’d recommend the tour to friends. As for the “bumpy” ride — that’s all part of the charm of a vintage bus making its way across Edinburgh’s famous cobbled streets (and the occasional pothole!). It adds a little extra character to the journey and makes the tea taste all the sweeter. We’re so pleased the fun outweighed the bumps, and we look forward to welcoming you back on board for another memorable trip through the city.
Ralynn_W, Oct 2025
I was shocked and disappointed by this experience. Shocked that I expected an elegant high tea experience near the Edinburgh Castle and what I got was a broken down old dirty bus with a very sloppy presentation at best. I felt embarrassed being there in comparison to the much cleaner and nicer buses and settings elsewhere. The cost of the experience was way higher than what it was worth. The food was at best okay but definitely not a high tea quality. I was a bit taken back by the sloppiness of everything including the very worn seats with the padding falling through the covers and the dusty fake flowers that lay overhead, along with the very very dirty windows. During the drive the lady used a muffled microphone system and I learned nothing about Edinburgh other than never ever take this tour again. As we drove by the “Hop On Hop Off” buses around us, I longed to be on one of them and considered sneaking away when we had a “potty stop” at a local public toilet which was filthy. For the cost, couldn’t they have arranged stopping at a restaurant or other business to use their facilities? They also wanted us to get a photo with the bus driver in his seat. Because I am kind, I will not comment on the bus driver’s hygiene or attire but it was not professional to say the least. Much improvement is needed for this to be even a tour that Viator advertises on its website/app. I expected more from Viator! Don’t you scrutinize and filter tours on behalf of your customers before advertising them??? I trusted you Viator and you let me down severely. This raunchy, sloppy, dirty tour stole my time on my vacation when I could have used it elsewhere during my short stay in Edinburgh. My husband was with me and he had the pleasure of a hornet dropping on him during the ride! We got a picture of it. At last, we were done with the trip around the city and we were definitely ready to get off the bus. They had the audacity to ask for a tip. Really? Viator YOU need to do better. I hold you responsible for my bad time. I would really like my money back but I did eat the stale bread and the crusty quarter sandwiches and I did drink the tea from the plastic cup they provided. So, I suspect I’m stuck with a bad, yet expensive, experience. Do not recommend! Take it off Viator and save your reputation!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, though we’re truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of expectations. We take all reviews seriously and are disappointed to read your account, which does not reflect the standard we strive to maintain.
Our high tea tour is designed to offer a unique and charming way to enjoy Edinburgh’s sights, and we regret that the presentation and condition of the bus did not meet your expectations. Cleanliness, comfort, and hospitality are top priorities for us, and we’re actively reviewing your comments with our team to address the concerns you’ve raised — including seating, decor, and audio quality.
We’d also like to clarify that our buses are deep cleaned and safety-checked daily to ensure a pleasant environment for all guests. Our onboard crew are there to assist with any issues during the tour, and guests are always free to leave the bus at any time should they wish to do so.We understand how valuable your time is while traveling, and we’re sorry that this experience didn’t contribute positively to your visit. You are very welcome to contact us directly to discuss your concerns further — we’d appreciate the opportunity to make things right.
Jonathan_O, Sep 2025
Novelty way to see Edinburgh, friendly on board staff, make sure you catch it from the right place, not St Andrew place as we were told by Viator.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you so much for your lovely review of the Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Experience! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the novelty of touring the city in such a unique way, and that our onboard team made your experience even more enjoyable. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to them!We also appreciate your note about the pick-up location. We’re sorry for any confusion caused by the incorrect information from Viator, and we’re working closely with them to ensure future guests receive accurate directions.We hope to welcome you aboard again soon for another memorable outing
Martha_N, Sep 2025
This was a delightful excursion. The bus driver & all the staff were kind & helpful. The tea & sandwiches as well as the deserts were delicious. The double decker bus drove through areas of Edinburgh I had not seen before. The tea & sandwiches were served on board the bus. The narration on board was just enough when passing historic points of interest. I would recommend to anyone. We did not receive a souvenir cup as listed but overall a great experience!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
We’re thrilled to hear you had a delightful time on our Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Experience. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed the food, the friendly team, and the scenic route through parts of the city you hadn’t seen before—those hidden gems are part of the magic!
We’re sorry for any confusion regarding the souvenir cup. It’s not something we currently offer, so we’re unsure where that information may have come from—but we’ll certainly look into it to avoid future mix-ups.Thank you again for your kind recommendation. We’d love to welcome you back onboard
Kelly_L, Sep 2025
ELLIS AND MARK WERE GREAT! appreciated them chatting with us and making it a special time. The food was good and it was a way to see town on our 1st full day in Edinburgh
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We're thrilled to hear Ellis and Mark helped make your first full day in Edinburgh extra special—they’ll be chuffed to know their friendly chat made a difference. It’s great that you enjoyed the food and the chance to take in the sights while relaxing on board. We hope the rest of your visit was just as memorable, and we'd love to welcome you back anytime!
Phil, Aug 2025
Great tour in an old London bus and the food was good. Eating an afternoon tea going through the streets of Edinburgh was a great experience. Thanks to Jim and the crew
Response from Host, Sep 2025
🫖 Thank you so much for your lovely review! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the unique charm of our vintage London bus and that the afternoon tea hit the spot. Cruising through Edinburgh with good food and great company really is a special way to spend the day. Jim and the crew will be delighted to hear your kind words—they work hard to make every tour memorable. We’d love to welcome you back again soon!
ALAN_D, Aug 2025
My Fiance and I went on the Edinburgh Red Bus Bistro and it was an excellent experience from beginning to end. The afternoon tea was great - very tasty sandwiches and cakes. A very warm and hospitable team, great music, plenty of laughs and banter. A big thank you to Helen, the Bus Manager who was attentive, very entertaining and wanted everyone to have a good time. We had an awesome experience and would thoroughly recommend to others.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review we value your feedback and we thank you for the recommendation we hope to welcome you back on board in the future
Henry_g, Jul 2025
Really great experience. The driver and host were both super friendly and the food was excellent and of a high quality. It was a great way to see the city but I do wish when there was a commentary it was a little louder. We had two people next to us who were talking loudly to each other constantly including during the commentary and I didn’t hear any of it
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review we value your feedback and hope to welcome you back onboard in the future to another of our experience's
Natalie_S, Jul 2025
I guess I missed something when I booked. I didn’t even realize this was an afternoon tea served on a moving bus. Which made drinking beverages pretty dicey at best. Evidently this was meant to be a tea with a bus tour of the city. The tour part was pretty sparse, with very limited commentary. The food was subpar, dry, bland, not very good. AND, we, along with another family, did not get advance notice that the provider had changed the meeting place for the tour, so the bus had to come fetch us once they got started. I can’t imagine how other guests got notice of the correct meeting place but we did not. This is a pretty major error in my opinion. I do not recommend this experience. Certainly not a trip highlight for us.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hello Natalie we advertise on every booking platform a full description of our product and we clearly advise we are not a guided tour i am sorry you did not research what you where booking and hence why as you advise you did not realize what to expect Unfortuneatley this is not Red Bus Bistro accountability . We have had to change our pick up location and we have contacted all our booking agents to advise of this we are sorry you did not receive the communication and during this transition period of change as you pointed out we have stopped at our old location just to check if any passengers have missed our communication . The bus is a moving vintage route master bus hence why we advise to hold you glass all food is freshly prepared on the day and if you had spoken to the crew they would have changed anything you where unhappy with . We thank you for your feedback and can see that our product due to personal preference was not for you but had you read about what you where booking you may have not booked and found something else that suits your preference's
Nicole_D, Jul 2025
We had a great time on the tour but Viator has the wrong pickup address as of July 2025. Please contact the tour company directly to find the correct place to meet the bus. Otherwise, the food was good, the bus was lovely, and it was a great way to see an overview of Edinburgh.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hello Nicole thank you we have now had all booking platforms updated with our new pick up location and we accept we had small transition issues in this change but should now be fully rectified . Thank you for joining us onboard we are so pleased you enjoyed the over all experience and enjoyed your trip in Edinburgh
Gillian_R, Jul 2025
It is an enjoyable experience and the food was good but there was no verbal commentary of the sights as we were travelling so in many cases visitors would be unaware of what they were seeing.
The journey was, however, accompanied by vintage music which was fun to listen to.
It could be worth checking the booking with the bus company as they had not received our booking from Viator. Fortunately they were still able to accommodate us.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for leaving us a review we value all feedback . We are not a guided tour staff will point out places of interest and interact with the passengers but we will pass this feedback over to the crew manager for review .
Erica_C, May 2025
The Big Red Bus Afternoon Tea was a blast. The bus sets a fun and quirky mood. The food was delicious and the music selection was great. The driver and the chef were nice and kind. I'm sorry I forgot names. Definitely another unique experience. This was my third trip to Scotland... I try new things. Will recommend.
Brian_G, May 2025
Felt like a party American bus. American music playing with a bunch of drunk women on board. Only offer one cup of tea.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hello Brian we are sorry to read you did not enjoy your time onboard , The crew are available at any point during the tour if you require anything please feel free to email us a list of what you felt was wrong and we can look into this for you
Christine_J, Apr 2025
We had a great time. A clever way to see the city! The people who served us were so much fun. Cocktails too!
Monica_T, Mar 2025
Excellent bus tour, highly recommend to others. Friendly staff, food was good. Thank you to the staff, we have a great time.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Hello Monica thank you for taking the time to leave us a review we value your feedback . Thank you for the staff recognition we will ensure to pass this on throughout the team we re so pleased you had a wonderful time and thank you for the recommendation and we hope to welcome you back in the future 😊
MarqueettaMoniq_C, Jan 2025
Freya, my server was great. The meal was good. It was a nice break between the castle and all the walking I did for the day.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for leaving us feedback from your time onboard we are so pleased you enjoyed the time onboard and your visit to Edinburgh 😊
Piper_R, Jan 2025
Wonderful experience to celebrate a family engagement! The food was superb and service was excellent!
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for the feedback it is wonderful to read that you enjoyed the time onboard with us and everyone had a good day and the crew provided a good service we will pass this over to the team
James_S, Dec 2024
Very nice afternoon having tea and tour Edinburg. I would not recommend for solo traveller. Great for couples and families.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for the feedback , We have many solo travellers who enjoy the tour if you would like to pop us an email over with some more info why you feel this way we could review this otherwise we are glad you enjoyed the Afternoon tea and tour 😊
Mark_N, Oct 2024
Utter disaster and the team are no help at all
I would never book anything with Viator ever again. A total waste of time and money
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hello Mark we are unsure what the issue with booking was as not noted in your review , You have left this review on Red BUs Bistro page although your complaint is with viator a different company to us
Anna_W, Oct 2024
Enjoyed chatting with some Scots sitting near me. Food was ok, there is no tour as such— just riding around Edinburgh. Music was good, acoustics for microphone was awful so couldn’t understand anything that was said. Staff was pleasant and worked hard. Enjoyed the experience and we laughed a lot but there is room for improvement
Stephanie_D, Sep 2024
Fabulous afternoon! Lovely staff, great food! PERFECT to spend time in Edinburgh ! Lively music! Thanks to all!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hello thank you very much for leaving us feedback from your time onboard , it is wonderful to read you enjoyed our experience with us and time in Edinburgh we will pass this over to the team and we hope we can welcome you back again soon to another of our experience's
Albert_T, Sep 2024
The staff was lovely and the food was mostly delicious. Some things not to our taste, but plenty to satisfy us. The ride was a bit bumpy but this afternoon tea definitely tops the tea at Harris’s in London. Thank you for the enjoyable afternoon. I don’t know the spice in the cucumber sandwich, but it gave us a lovely little bite. The macarons were superb!!! My favorite.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hello and wow thank you for the wonderful feedback high praise indeed , our vintage buses on the cobbles of Edinburgh can be a little bumpy but atmospheric , Thank you for the food feedback we pass this over to the chef to et him now it was well received . We hope to welcoming you back onboard again in the future 😊
Val_K, Sep 2024
It was a great way to be introduced to Edinburg. The atmosphere on the bus was very friendly, our driver Stuart and young people (Adan and the young lady) that served us sandwiches and pastries were very welcoming and helpful.
The bus drove around the city and on our way we were able to see some major attractions and old monuments.
It was fun, delightful and memorable.
I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone as an introduction to the great city.
SANDRA_H, Sep 2024
What an experience!!! The food was great. The music was fabulous. Everything about the tea tour was a memorable experience! Everyone was extremely nice!!!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hello Sandra this is amazing we love that you came onboard with friends and made some new and fun memories with us . This is great feedback to pass over to our team and we hope to welcome you back to another of our experience's soon 😊
Nicole_M, Sep 2024
This was so much fun!! Loved it! The food was super yummy! I would do this again! Great way to enjoy and see some of the city!
Response from Host, Sep 2024
We look forward to welcoming you again and remember you receive a returning customer discount . We love that you loved it and will pass this over to the team see you soon 😊
Wanda_B, Sep 2024
Really enjoyed our afternoon tea bus experience. The staff were great and the food and processco were the best. Was a slightly disappointed didn’t see a few more sights.
But overall highly recommend
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you it makes us happy to read you had a amazing time onboard and you enjoyed the full experience , we are always happy to receive feedback sometimes we may have to alter the route due to road works etc however we do try to cover the main sights we are happy to receive suggestions of places if you wish to email these over to us . Thank you for the recommendation 😊
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